Kathleen (and all),

Figure 1 in the full journal article (http://www.ajpmonline.org/webfiles/images/journals/amepre/AMEPRE_3373%5B3%5D-stamped.pdf) breaks out the participants into 4 groups according to high/low physical activity environment (PAE) and high/low nutrition environment (NE). The figure seems to imply that low PAE children have higher incidence of overweight and obesity than high PAE children regardless of NE designation, though the authors do not specifically make any claims that walkability and park access are more influential than healthy food access.

I expect the authors will have more papers examining the finer points of the data, and that this first paper simply serves as an overview of a large body of data that looks at the joint influence of nutrition and physical activity environments -- most studies to date have only looked at one or the other, which makes for cleaner analysis but leaves open the question of how these two influences (as well as other factors such as SES) interact.

Full disclosure, I was a research associate on this study during the data gathering phase. I have since picked up a couple degrees and joined another organization though, so I don't have any first hand knowledge of the analysis since.

--
Jennifer So Godzeno, MSUP, MPH
Pedestrian Advocacy Manager

Transportation Alternatives | 127 West 26th Street, Suite 1002 | New York, NY 10001
jennifer@transalt.org | (646) 873-6026


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On Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 8:29 AM, Kathleen Bergeron <kabergeron@earthlink.net> wrote:
Erik, doesn't adding the nutrition aspect negate the findings as far as the benefits of walking? I mean, wouldn't it be better to simply have the walkable area with a park nearby versus car-dependent location as determining factors? I mean, carrying this to the ridiculous, it would be like saying baseball players who walked a lot and also took steroids hit more home runs than baseball players who drove their cars all the time and took no steroids; thus, walking means you can hit more home runs. It just seems that the "other" aspect negates the impact of the former.

Kathleen Bergeron   
-----Original Message-----
From: erik.weber@dot.gov
Sent: Apr 11, 2012 1:34 PM
To: H+T--Friends@chrispy.net
Subject: [H+T--Friends] Walkability & childhood obesity

Via Streetsblog, there is a new study examining factors influencing childhood obesity.  One of the things examined was built environment and neighborhood.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study found a strong connection between the walkability of child’s neighborhood and the likelihood of obesity:

 

Children who lived in walkable areas, with a child-friendly park nearby and access to healthy food had 59% lower odds of being obese.  Kids that lived in car-dependent neighbourhoods with more fast food outlets had the highest levels of obesity (16%, which is the US average).  But only 8% of children were obese in walkable areas with access to more healthy food.

The article summarizing is here: http://walkonomics.com/blog/2012/04/how-your-post-code-is-as-important-as-your-genetic-code-for-childhood-obesity/

And the study is here: http://www.seattlechildrens.org/Press-Releases/2012/Zip-Code-as-Important-as-Genetic-Code-in-Childhood-Obesity/

 

Erik Weber
United We Ride -- Office of Program Management
Federal Transit Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, E44-431
Washington, DC 20590
Ph: 202.366.0705

 

On the Web:

www.unitedweride.gov

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P Please consider the environment before printing this email.

 

Kathleen A. Bergeron

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